The Best Two
by qweerlittlefish
Summary: Jaime's life is turned upside down when a child is thrust upon him. Bart finds the whole thing laughable; his boyfriend is obviously overreacting. He tries to stay positive, he says they can work things out: he states, that they are the best two people to raise Maria...but he is pretty naive too. WARNING: Slash pairing (BluePulse)
1. Drop Off

_**The Best Two**_

**So this is my first shot at a real BluePulse story.**

**I read a book a bit ago, and I've just wanted to write a BluePulse fic based on it since I reached its last page.**

**I do not own Young Justice.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**WARNING: Some coarse language, adult themes and slash pairing (BluePulse)**

"So, how do you say 'I love you'?"

The black-haired boy tried to force his upturning lip corners down, staring at his plate of food. He furrowed his brow, "I've told you a billion times before; you'd think you would have caught on by now, _ese_."

Bart pouted, taking out a small book from his backpack. He flicked through it with speed, stopping abruptly on a blue page. Clearing his throat and smiling, he nudged Jaime with his sockless foot, "J-Je tu aim? Aime? Je t'aime." Bart struggled to read orally, pausing for a few moments after he had managed to sound out the phrase. He then beamed, looking to his boyfriend for praise.

Jaime rolled his eyes, and moved his fork around his plate, "That's French, _hermano_."

Bart opened his mouth in mock surprise, before smirking, "I know. Language of love, remember?" His eyebrows did a little dance, before coming to rest above his bright eyes.

Jaime snorted, "You're so cheesy, man."

The auburn nodded in agreement, before shuffling off his seat, taking his bag with him. "I'm just gonna go throw this into your room and get changed, m'kay? Thank your mom for dinner." He paced off, up the stairs, before Jaime could even mumble an okay.

Jaime slurped up the rest of his pasta, hoisting Bart's plate up as he left for the kitchen.

His mother was washing the dishes in the sink. "Thanks Mami." Jaime smirked, placing the dirty dishes into the accumulating, somewhat heaping pile, next to his mom.

The woman looked his way, beaming at him, "No problem Son." She looked around his shoulder, standing on tiptoe to do so, before looking at him in surprise, "Where's your _novio de_?"

Jaime looked behind himself, before shrugging, "Upstairs, probably trashing my room. I better go find him." He turned on his heel, stopping in the doorway and clutching onto the frame, "He says thank you, by the way." He continued out, leaving his mother to hum to herself as she wet another plate.

The Hispanic had just about reached the stairs before the doorbell rung. He half contemplated letting his sister get it, but he guessed the person on the other side wanted to talk to someone urgently- they began to knock hastily.

Jaime got to the door in two large strides. He pulled, groaning slightly as it stuck. After another try, it threw open, and Jaime was looking into the eyes of someone he _really _didn't want to see.

He forced a smile, motioning for the girl to come in. "Nice to see you, Rosa."

The delicate form before him was pushing a stroller. She left it beside the door, taking a seat on the tattered Reyes couch after slipping out of her gray boots. Jaime sat opposite her, wringing his hands, "Can I help you with something, _Amiga_?"

Rosa smiled, her dark brown ringlets somewhat obscuring her face from his. She sighed, before looking over at the pram. Jaime followed her gaze, before grimacing slightly.

"Who are you babysitting for?" He queried, snapping his eyes away from the gurgling, squirming body sat in the buggy. He really hoped it wouldn't get saliva on the floor.

The girl pushed her hair away from her face, exposing sad, dark eyes. "For myself, Jaime. It's my daughter."

Jaime gawked at the girl in shock. Instantly, he began to judge her. She, like him, was only 18. She wouldn't get to go to college (a dream of Jaime's), her dating pool was severely restricted, and her life was pretty much over. He glanced back at the baby, who craned its neck from its spot to smile at him.

"_You_ have a daughter?" He finally spat out, clutching his legs and leaning forwards to look at the teen in disbelief. It was really difficult to believe that someone as goody-goody as Rosaline, would have a child that looked over a year old.

Rosa rolled her eyes, before softening her stare, "_We_ have a daughter, Jaime." She stressed her words, quickly looking away from the boy.

Jaime stood up from his spot, shaking his head. "That's impossible, Rosa! We dated when we were 16- for like, four months!"

The girl stood as well, crossing her arms over her chest, "And in case you've forgotten, we were quite reckless while dating, hence why we broke up!"

Jaime gaped at her, shaking his head once more, rolling down his sleeves and taking a shallow breath, "Is this a sick joke?" He'd been with Rosa for such a short time; everything had happened so fast. She'd just been someone who happened to be interested when Jaime was going through a tough phase in his life.

Jaime had just wanted to try to _like_ girls.

She hadn't been much help. In fact, she'd just helped Jaime see that he _definitely _would never date a girl again.

Rosa exhaled slowly, completely calm, "No, Jaime. I'm telling the truth. You were the last and only guy I was with."

"Are you here to collect child support? Or shout at me for not being there? Heck, you didn't even tell me! You just disappeared off the face of the earth one day- so don't try to yell at me now!" He glanced around the room, scared that his voice had been too loud. The last thing he needed was his mother rushing in to interrogate them both.

The girl closed her eyes, her thick dark eyelashes cutting off above her nose. They fluttered a moment later, and Rosa was watching Jaime once more. She strolled over to the child, placing a shaking hand to the stroller handle, "No, Jaime. I'm not going to do any of that. The day I chose not to tell you, I decided I wouldn't throw you into this mess either. When I found out, I ran off to live with my Grandmother in California. I was in the area today and just decided to drop by."

Jaime sat back down, holding his head in his hands. Rosa rubbed her eyes, before tapping back over to him, and bending down in front of him. "I know this is sudden; but I need to go to my parent's house. I'm not ready to tell them about Maria. Can I leave her here for a few hours?"

Jaime looked up at her, nodding. His mouth was too dry to give her a coherent answer. He supposed it was the least he could do.

Rosa grinned, "Gracias, Jaime!" She paused, before grimacing, "It's really tough for me, you know."

Jaime didn't reply, his eyes completely glazed over as a million thoughts whizzed around in his confused mind. His ex-girlfriend rushed over to the pram, kissing the child on its forehead. "I'll text you later, Jaime. See you!" Without further waiting, she let herself out, loosely shutting the door behind herself.

"_Mierda_." Jaime whispered, barely noticing how he quivered. He stood up, swaying due to the weakness in his legs, and looked at the thing in the pram. _"Thank God this is only for a few hours." _

* * *

"Dude, I've been up in your room for like four hours! Where are you?" Bart sauntered down the stairs, missing the last few steps and jumping onto the wooden floor. His attention was instantly caught by the smell of _baby_ wipes and the sight of a few _baby_ toys strew across the floor. Jaime was sitting amidst the mess, holding a child in his arms. He wasn't interacting with it; in fact, he was just gazing at the wall. His jaw was clenched; Bart could tell the guy wasn't enjoying himself.

The speedster skipped over to the duo, crouching down and smiling at the child, which shook its rattle and squealed as it looked at him. Jaime snapped out of his trance, holding the child out to his partner, "Give me a break?" He pleaded softly.

Bart let a concerned look drift upon his features, before taking the child and sitting down in the blue, tartan armchair across the room. "She's adorable, Jaime. Is this some cousin I don't know of?" He began to bounce his leg up and down, smiling eagerly as the child clapped its hands.

"She's related." Jaime muttered, more to himself.

Bart perked up, turning the child around to face him. "What's her name? How old is she?"

Jaime scowled, "You're incredibly excited by _it_, aren't you?" He snapped slightly, not bothering to apologize.

The redhead raised an eyebrow, "Don't get sensitive on me, amigo. I was just-"

Jaime's phone buzzed and he threw himself at it.

It was a message from Rosa.

He quickly opened it, skimmed its contents, and then kicked the couch in front of him in anger. "That _perra_!" Jaime spat, clutching his head angrily. He sighed after a few anger fuelled moments, "Pardon me." He felt guilty and appalled by his choice of wording that he had used to describe the poor, obviously delusional girl.

Bart stood up, holding the child tight to himself. "Is everything okay, Jaime?"

Everything was NOT okay. The mother of the child in the room had sent Jaime a short text;

_It's too hard for me, Jaime. I don't want to do this; but I really can't care for her anymore. I've left cash and all her documents in a plastic pocket in her baby bag. I'm really sorry Jaime, but from his moment on I'm cutting off all contact._

Jaime's breath hitched, and he glared at the fidgeting kid his boyfriend was carrying. He shut his eyes, trying to take in a deep breath.

He didn't want to cry. He couldn't cry.

He felt a hot droplet squeeze out of one of his eyes, and he bit his lip angrily. There- he'd already failed the first step. He thought about what that meant for future prospects. Surely if he, _a man_, couldn't even keep himself from sobbing, he'd most certainly fail everything else.

He'd never felt so lost in his whole life.

**It's not REALLY a cliff-hanger. Right? Hehe.**

**I hoped you enjoyed enough, or it left some sort of imprint in your minds. Please feel free to comment, or give me something to ponder in a review!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Fish**


	2. Nightmare

**Thanks for the reviews last chapter guys! They mean a lot.**

**Hope you'll continue to read and enjoy, even after I remind you all that I don't own Young Justice!**

Bart sat beside Jaime on the floor. It seemed like eternity before the Hispanic finally stopped gripping his own hair and cursing himself under his breath. Bart anxiously held on to the baby, rubbing circles into his boyfriends back.

He had no idea what was going on; but he was a smart kid, and he'd already caught on to the fact that this delivery was both unexpected and unwanted.

Bart bit his lip, before finally breaking the silence. "Are you okay, Jaime?"

Said person looked up; eyes cold, lips tight. His face was wet with tears and blotchy; it was easy to read that he wasn't entirely himself. Bart had been friends with Jaime long enough to know that he'd snap; he braced himself for it, promising he wouldn't spontaneously shout back.

"I'd be fine if _it _was back in _its _place." He glared at the child, before letting his features melt back into something resembling guilt and grief. _At least he hadn't shouted._

Bart rolled his eyes quickly, before hugging the child to himself, "I believe the term, she, is more appropriate." He brushed a finger down the stubby, somewhat wide nose of the child. He took in every detail of her little, not yet flawed, face.

She had large brown eyes, somewhat angular at the corners. Her lips were curved into a wide smile. Her dark hair sat in tufts upon her tan head. Furrowing his brow, Bart looked back to his boyfriend. Shutting his eyes quickly, he let a curse out.

He'd finally caught on.

"Oh _man_, Jaime. What are you gonna tell your mom?" He rubbed his face, groaning slightly. His auburn hair loosely fell over his eyebrows as he bent his head to concentrate on the child once more. Jaime moaned, before standing.

"What can I say?" He shuffled his feet, before holding out his hands, "Let me hold _it_, I guess." He spoke through gritted teeth, clearly uncomfortable.

Bart jumped up, light-hearted, trying to brighten the mood. He waggled his finger teasingly, "Not until you call her by her name."

"Pass the mess I made over to me, Bart, or I'll flip. _I'm not kidding_." Jaime locked his jaw, glaring at Bart seriously. His boyfriend scowled, before carefully handing the small child to his confused partner.

The child opened its eyes, unnerved by the angry emotions coming from its new holder. It squealed, before letting out a high pitched cry. Jaime tensed, shutting his eyes. "Shh!" He half shouted at the child, rocking it slightly. It kicked out, wailing. Jaime passed it back to Bart with speed, grimacing.

"It hates me." Jaime stated, rubbing his face.

Bart held the baby uncomfortably, trying to get it to quiet down. "In case you haven't noticed, _amee-gow_, she's still crying. She obviously needs something."

Jaime's hands became fists, and he stalked over to its stroller, "It needs to shut up." He slammed his compressed hand into the wall, his brow creased in discomfort and rage.

The baby stopped sobbing, the sounds evolving into soft whimpers. Bart placed her to the floor, where she turned over onto her stomach and hiccoughed. The speedster paced towards his boyfriend, before pushing him into the wall with one swift motion. He held him back with unknown strength, breathing slowly.

"You-" Bart poked Jaime in the chest, "Brought that baby into the world, buddy. You did. It takes two. You need to accept this belated responsibility, dude." Bart spat, "You need to _grow up_."

Jaime looked up at Bart, before sighing and walking back to the body on the carpet. He hoisted it upwards, patting it softly on the back, "Do you think it-_she _is hungry?" Jaime corrected himself, earning a short-lived smile from Bart.

"Who's hungry?" Jaime's mother walked in, questioning. Her bun was messy atop her head, her glasses askew. She was in deep concentration, trying to undo her apron. Her lips were pursed, and she lifted her face, awaiting an answer from one of the boys.

Jaime refrained from swearing, and simply took a ragged breath. Now or never.

"Who's that?" His mother questioned, finally able to remove the knot from the string that kept the apron firmly around her body.

_Now or never._

Jaime gulped, looking at the child, trying to soften his stare. It didn't seem to like him at all; it balled its hands into fists and its features contorted back into something ugly as it started to cry once more.

"This is Rosa's daughter." He let out the words in a hoarse whisper, hoping his mother hadn't heard him over the sobbing of the kid.

Unfortunately, his luck seemed to have gone on vacation. His mother's mouth dropped open, and she cocked her head to the side.

"_Now or never!_" Jaime reminded himself whilst plucking up meager courage. "This is also my dau-urgh…ild….erm"

"Your WHAT!?" His mother asked, fully aware of what Jaime was trying to get across into words.

Jaime shook his head, "Not for long though. First thing in the morning I'm going see if she can get placed into foster care." Bart sent him a dirty look, and Jaime instantly dropped his gaze to his timeworn shoes. "I mean; I need to finish school. Go to college!" He paused, "There's no other way around it! She'll be gone really soon, mom." Jaime had a whine in his voice that he hadn't used in a while; he was trying to prove that fact to himself, more so than to the other occupants of the room.

His mother scowled, before walking up to him in two strides, slapping him across the face in sheer anger. After a few silent moments, she softly took the baby in her own grasp. Her eyes were wet, but began to regain their usual warmth. Jaime rubbed his jaw.

"Son, I'm sorry. But she is your liability now- until you can contact Rosa. Did you two create an agreement?" Bianca had a tired voice, and her shoulders sagged with disappointment. The few smile lines she had creased around her lips and forehead as she looked the teenager over.

Jaime shook his head quickly, re-stating the events of the night. His mother looked stern, but held the baby to her chest tenderly when her own offspring had finished narrating.

"She'll be gone soon!" Jaime repeated. "I promise!"

The woman laughed quickly, more in spite, before handing the child back to Jaime. "She is yours now, Jaime. You gave away your life when she was brought into this world." Bianca shrugged, continuing, "You may not want it, but she is your existence now." She dried her hands on her knee-length skirt, shaking her head slowly.

Jaime's mouth dropped open in shock, "But _SCHOOLING_, mom! Can't you care for her?" He knew he sounded incredibly childish; but his mother knew that his dreams were elsewhere. He scrunched up his nose, furiously looking at Maria, in his shaking arms.

His mom, being the incredibly kind-hearted person she was, pulled her son in for a hug, "I'll chip in; but school is on hold for now." Bianca pushed her lips together, her eyes darting to the lone figure on the far side of the room.

Bart's mouth fell to the floor, and he didn't seem in a hurry to pick it up. His gaze flew to Jaime's features, which were full of loathing for the baby in his arms.

Jaime pursed his lips, but his mother wasn't in the mood for arguments.

"I'll set up a cot. She's staying." She reinstated, rubbing her face with well-worn hands.

"Where?" Jaime asked with his voice weak and full of sorrow.

"In your room, of course. You're a father now, Jaime." His mother shook her head at her statement, black strands of hair falling freely around her features. She looked at Bart, exhaling deeply, "Sweetie, can you run to the shops for us, and buy us diapers and baby formula?"

Bart, eager to get out of the tension filled area, whizzed away. Jaime groaned as his mother looked at the spot the speedster had stood in judgmentally, "He didn't take any money…"

Jaime's shoulders slumped and he put Maria into her pram, almost rushing his movements; so excited to get her out of his sight. He pushed himself downwards, onto his knees, and crawled across the floor, retrieving scattered items.

Even though Maria was staying, even if just for a week or so, Jaime needed to get rid of evidence. He dreaded to think of what his father would say if he found out about the matter at hand before being told by the family.

* * *

Jaime stood in track suit bottoms, a towel floppy across his shoulders. He gave a wistful look to the cot at the foot of his bed, and slid out of his slippers.

Maria was somewhere downstairs, probably been cooed at by Bart, or cradled by his mother. Jaime rolled his eyes, wiping his face with the green towel. He'd almost freaked when his mom had suggested having a shower with 'his daughter.' She stated it would be good bonding.

Jaime shuddered; dreading anything to do with 'bonding' with the thing that had completely ended his life.

A quick, authoritative tap at his door caused Jaime to stop concentrating on his yellow rug. Bart strode in, smiling tiredly. He instantly jumped into Jaime's bed, removing his sneakers only when they had already left a fine muddy residue upon the recently cleaned covers.

"Your mom is awesome, Jaime." Bart stated, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

Jaime smiled, throwing his towel at his boyfriend. Bart sprang up, chuckling, before twisting the towel into something reminiscent of a messy plait. "I'll towel whip you!" He laughed heartily as Jaime landed beside him on the bed, pushing him down, and removing the fabric from his grasp, in one easy motion.

"You're too easy to beat. I would have loved to have seen you try though." Jaime stated, throwing the towel on his floor, and pushing his head back onto his pillow.

Bart smirked, "As I was saying; your mom is amazing."

Jaime inched open an eye, "I believe you used the term _awesome_. And you change topics way too fast, _carino_."

Bart groaned, poking Jaime in the stomach, "When I say it, you kinda have to ask why."

"You needn't be any more obvious, _hermano_." Jaime stated, smirking. Sitting up and running a hand through cropped hair, his attention on his boyfriend, "Okay." He declared, beaming, "Tell me why my mother is fantastic then."

Bart grinned, hiding his face, allowing his voice to come out muffled, "She's so accepting."

Jaime's smile melted off his face, and he furrowed his brow, "Tell me something I don't know." He gritted his teeth, clutching his blanket.

"She's a great cook?" Bart quipped, cocking his head to the side, before shaking it dynamically, "That's not the point though. She instantly approved of me and you way back when-"

"One year, three months and twelve days ago." Jaime added, before beckoning Bart to go on.

"Yeah." Bart cleared his throat, blushing slightly, "And now, with _Eeah_, she's all, cuddled up to her on the couch downstairs, singing and laughing." Bart wiped a tear dramatically from his eye, before snorting.

Jaime smiled genuinely, before pushing himself off the bed, and glancing back at the crib. He scowled. Why could his mother and his boyfriend accept the unwanted human so easily, when all he could do was complain in his mind to the Scarab about it?

"Where you going?" Bart question, bright-green eyes full of interest.

"It's past ten. I suppose my amazing mother will want me to bring my dau-" Jaime shook his head, letting out a fake cough, "She'll want me to bring _it _to my room."

"Her." Bart corrected, lacking the same curiosity from before. His face was back on Jaime's spare pillow within seconds, and he turned to the side, quite upset by how accepting and mad his partner was.

Jaime sighed, removing himself from the room.

* * *

As Bart had foretold, Maria was cuddled up to Bianca on the couch. Bianca was singing an old lullaby, one which Jaime barely recognized or remembered.

He took a seat next to his mother, smiling at her. "Is it bedtime for it yet? I mean, if me and Bart have to sleep, then I think that means she does."

Bianca's brow crinkled as she handed over the small child. It's lip quivered as it was pulled away from someone it had grown close to. "You're being very immature, Jaime, by not referring to your own flesh and blood by her name." Bianca scolded, "And you have no room to be childish." She abruptly stood, sauntering away towards the kitchen.

Jaime stood quickly, careful to keep Maria in a steady hold. "Mom, wait!" Jaime shot, cringing. Bianca turned, giving full-attention. "I'm sorry, Mami."

Bianca shook her head, "There's really no point or need for that now, Jaime. What's done is done."

"_Unfortunately_." Jaime added, under his breath.

Bianca quirked an eyebrow, before pushing the corners of her lips upwards, "I'd say good night, child, but I doubt you'll be having one. Maria will be up and down- she's in unfamiliar territory, and may become hungry. We have no idea what schedule she had with Rosa. We can only imagine." Bianca's face softened as she blew and kiss, and strode out of the room.

Jaime sighed, forcing himself to move. Maria looked at him questionably, noting that he was nowhere near as angry as he had been previously. Still, she made no effort to please him, and looked away, in the direction they were heading.

Jaime rubbed his lips together, entering his room.

Almost instantly, Maria was in her cot. Jaime carefully placed a thin blanket over her, removing her miniature shoes as he did so. He contemplated kissing her forehead…but Bart beat him to it.

Maria instantly lit up at the sight of the redhead, and Bart covered her with sloppy kisses. "You're so cute! You're so CUTE!" Bart was almost wetting himself with excitement, and Jaime was growing tired of it.

He threw himself into bed, covering his face with the blanket. He just wanted to fall asleep quickly, so she could wake up, and realize that the events were all a horrible nightmare.

**There! Hope you enjoyed!**

**Please leave a review!**

**-Fish**


	3. Reaction

**Thanks for the support guys, here is the next chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Please leave a review if you get the chance!**

* * *

Jaime forcibly pushed his eyes open, rubbing at them furiously to wake himself up further. He'd slept the whole night without waking. A wide smile spread across his face as he shut his eyes once more, sat up, and stretched.

He felt his arm brush up against Bart, who was sitting up beside him. Turning his head, Jaime was shocked to find his boyfriend cocooning Maria.

It hadn't been a dream. Maria was still there; she was real. Jaime groaned, falling back into bed and pulling the covers up over his eyes. He heard a faint chuckle from Bart, and the bed lightened. Jaime listened to the soft padding of his partner across the carpet, the door swung open, and the smell of breakfast wafted into the room.

Jaime sighed; Bart was gone. He crossed his fingers, wishing, with his eyes squeezed shut, that he had taken Maria with him. Rolling onto his stomach, and raising up weakly, Jaime finally burrowed out from the warmth of his blanket.

He pulled on some long-forgotten jeans, strewn across the floor. Hoisting up a t-shirt alongside them, he repulsed at its stench. Shaking his head, he threw it back to the floor with force, half-etching into his mind that he'd need to put it in the wash later.

His attention faltered momentarily, and he looked pensively at the crib at the foot of his bed. A small hand was barely visible, stretching out from within the enclosure. Jaime rolled his eyes, moved sluggishly to his drawers, and pulled on a sweater. Then he moved at snail's-pace to his daughter.

She smiled up at him, gurgling. It seemed her hate of him from yesterday had been forgotten. Her fingers reached up to his arms, and he moaned, hoisting her up. She was extremely light, and her hair had a very specific scent to it. Jaime raised an eyebrow; why was he smelling her anyway? He pulled her away from himself slightly, gazing at her. Her hands clasped onto his hair, and he grimaced, pushing her back.

He dropped her lightly onto his bed, and tried to powerfully re-attach her shoes from yesterday to her feet. It was perhaps the hardest thing he had ever done, as she kicked and squealed and rolled around. He gave up after a few minutes; hardly in the mood, hungry and negative.

Jaime and Maria were in the kitchen mere moments later. His mother had found his old wooden highchair, back from when he was a baby, and had placed in next to the table, at which Bart was sat, speed-reading the paper.

A strange feeling welled up inside Jaime's stomach as he looked the highchair. It looked badly built, and hardly sturdy. He glared at it momentarily, before deciding Maria was better off on his lap. He didn't like her, he didn't care… but he really didn't like the look of the chair (or so he told himself.)

Bianca strode up to him, smiling genuinely. "Your father's coming home today."

Jaime groaned, handing Maria over to Bart, who practically flew across the table when he noticed her. "Please don't remind me, Mami."

Bianca glared at her son, "You have to tell him either way."

"Can't you?" Jaime whimpered, hiding his face with his hands.

Bianca hit him with the dishrag, making her point. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Jaime shrugged, "I'll find something." He stood, holding the table for support, "Mami, _please _tell Dad! You told him about me and Bart!"

"Actually, we told your Dad after your mom let him know we had something to tell him! Which was very crash, by the way, Ms Reyes." Bart piped up, looking at Bianca with a smirk on his face.

Jaime growled, "Can't you do that, Mami?"

Bianca turned on the spot, "You have to tell him, either way." She strode out of the room, steps heavy: it was the telltale sign that she was aggravated.

Jaime strode slowly over to the cupboard, removing a box of cereal, before changing his mind. "I'm not hungry."

Bart chuckled, "Don't be a sourpuss. Maria is starving."

The Hispanic exhaled in annoyance, "You speak baby now?" Jaime huffed, before trying a lighter approach, "What do _they_ eat?"

Bart looked very confused, before pointing to the baby-bag Rosa had left with the little one. Jaime strode over to it, and quickly found puree within its many pockets. He held it out tentatively, before genuflecting with indifference, and handing it to Maria.

Bart snorted, "Even I know she can't open this stuff on her own!"

Maria dribbled, chewing on the packet gingerly, and holding it with both hands. Her cheeks were red with irritation, and she was grunting with ferocity.

Jaime chuckled, "But look how cute she is, trying to." He quickly shut his mouth, and moved his head back. His mouth becoming a thin line as he shut his eyes in frustration, "I didn't say anything!"

Bart smiled warmly at the teenager, and hugged Maria to himself. "Look how nice your Daddy is, Eeea! Maybe in a year he'll finally grow a pair and grow up! Oh yes he will! _Oh yes he will_!" Bart pushed his nose against the child's, and she screamed with laughter.

Jaime pretended to be hurt, before brushing off the comment and removing the packet from the baby's hands. "Let's not talk about such suggestive matters in front of her, Kay? I don't really care, honestly, but if my mom hears, she'll have our heads for it."

Bart winked, "Right, that's _so _why." He pressed his mouth to Maria's ear, "_He won't admit that he's the over-protective one."_

Jaime looked up from his spot at the kitchen counter, at which he was preparing the mushy food. "The Scarab wants me to let you know that he can hear you."

Bart scowled, placing Maria into the high chair.

Jaime's bad feeling became a too-true reality. As soon as Maria was placed into the structure, as soon as she wiggled to make herself more comfortable, the chair, too-long underused, bent into itself. Jaime sped to the baby, watching the events unfold in slow-motion.

She hadn't even noticed how the chair was falling from underneath her.

Bart panicked, his eyes wide, and he grabbed the child out with hasty movements.

The rickety, somewhat wet wood lay in a heap on the floor beneath the trio. Jaime held his chest in terror, and looked over to his boyfriend and child. Bart shook his head, and Maria clapped her hands in amusement.

Jaime slid down to the floor, hitting his head by own action softly against the wall. Bart noted this, and smiled sheepishly. Jaime didn't want to let Bart in on the fact that he had indeed worried for those few moments.

"That was my favorite childhood keep-sake!" Jaime pouted. _'Great' save. _

* * *

Jaime sat with Maria in his lap. She was extremely uncomfortable there, and both of them weren't having any fun.

To the side of Jaime sat a laptop. Bart was out of the house with Bianca, shopping for a new highchair. Jaime had taken this as his opportunity; if his mother (or Bart, he supposed) EVER found out about what he was doing, he'd be worse than dead.

But it was his life, and he wouldn't let the little human on his knees ruin it.

He'd already done a fair amount of research on Foster Care. He knew that both parents needed to be seen as unfit to have Maria put in care. He clicked on the umpteenth page he had found on the matter that day, and a few new explanations popped up.

_The definition of an unfit parent will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but the general considerations are usually consistent: an unfit parent is one who has somehow neglected his or her child in such a way that puts the child at risk; failing to provide food, clothing, or protection to the child, as addiction and substance abuse that results in abuse of the child or dangerous child neglect all make the parents 'unfit'. A parent with an emotional or mental instability or disability may also be found to be unfit._

_In most places, it is quite difficult to prove whether a person is an unfit parent, and the definition of an unfit parent is often left purposely vague. Most parents who are found to be unfit will exhibit certain characteristics or fall into certain regular patterns, such as failing to bring children to school regularly, failing to provide basic necessities to the child, putting the child in danger physically or mentally on a regular basis, and so on. Abandonment of the child is also usually cause to label the parent unfit, whether the abandonment happens consistently or only once. Abandonment as a definition may also be left vague._

Jaime wasn't an unfit parent. Rosa was; she'd abandoned her child. But Jaime hadn't done any of the above, and he certainly didn't want to neglect Maria. He just wanted to send her off somewhere so that he could pursue his aspirations, and she could be with people who loved her.

Jaime sighed; Bart already loved Maria.

He placed said child to the floor, where she crawled with all her might to a toy-train, poking out from under the couch opposite. Jaime smiled vaguely, before coming to a decision.

_"I need to know if she's mine. It's one thing for Rosa to say she is… but, aren't I supposed to have a connection with the baby or something?"_

The Scarab stated something that Jaime barely registered. His gaze fluttered to an ad for DNA-tests.

He clicked it with gusto, and instantly applied for a send-home kit. It outlined the main task; swabbing the inside of the mouth, and doing the same to the baby with a separate swab.

_"When the test comes, in a week or so, I'll get to find out if she's mine. If she's not: I'll put her up for adoption, and live. If not-" _Jaime looked at the baby on the floor, who had long-since abandoned her toy, and had moved to Jaime's feet. "-_I'll have to be a dad." _Jaime shuddered, moving his feet upwards and logging out of his portable computer.

He was almost too lucky; Bart and Bianca strode in the next moment, holding more than a box for a highchair. Bart ran up to Jaime, laughing. "We went clothes shopping! We got her the _cutest _dresses! Headbands and shoes too!" Bart beamed, "Two days in, and we're already spoiling her rotten."

_"Will the stuff be returnable in a few weeks?" _Jaime thought spitefully. He bit his lip, forcing a smile. He couldn't believe it was only his second day with the child into the mess.

Bart lifted Maria off the floor, cooing softly, "I'm gonna go put her in the sailor outfit! I'll be right back!" He sped out of the room, leaving Jaime looking very unimpressed.

Bianca finally dropped her smile, rubbing the back of her neck, "I'm going to go cook dinner."

Jaime nodded, standing to help with the few more bags she was holding. "I'll take these to my room?"

"Where else?" Bianca glared at him, before stalking out. Jaime suppressed a groan, and grabbed the majority of the recently-bought items.

* * *

"Jaime." Bianca tapped on his door with speed, flinging it open. Jaime almost jumped out of his skin, and even Bart sprang up at the sudden movements and noise.

Maria stirred in her cot, her head lolling to the side. She let out a soft whine, before becoming silent once more.

"What mom?" Jaime asked, in a hurried whisper.

She tensed in apology, gritting her teeth, before pointing downstairs, "Your father is home."

Jaime nodded, "It's nearly midnight, mom. Me and Bart are going to sleep any minute now."

Bianca glowered at him, scolding him inaudibly. "You'll tell him tomorrow morning then."

"Fine." Jaime stated, clambering into bed and switching off his lamp. Bart yawned slowly, and bid the inhabitants of the room Goodnight. He was left without response from the sharer of the bed, who just pulled the covers towards himself more.

* * *

A high pitched cry awoke Jaime during the early hours of the morning. He stumbled around, bumping into items, before finally reaching the cot at the same time as Bart. "Do you have a muzzle or muffler?" Jaime questioned quietly, fear evident in his eyes.

Bart refrained from laughing out loud, but lifted Maria up and shushed her. Jaime knew his father was a heavy-sleeper… but he had no idea how heavy that was.

The man had slept through the beeping of a fire-alarm, and sirens of a fire-truck next door once before. Would Maria's cries be perceptible to him? A look of horror flashed upon Jaime's face, and he grabbed Bart's free hand.

The speedster was rocking the child, who was still sobbing. "Carino, _please _run off with her until she quiets down! _Please_!" Jaime was shaking; and Bart had never really been able to say no before. He was gone before Jaime could blink, the suddenly open window allowing a chill night breeze to float into the room.

Jaime stayed awake until five, when Bart returned with the child. Jaime couldn't sleep with the constant worry that his father had heard. It made his heart pound in his throat.

His father had been so accepting, and loving to Jaime in the younger years. He'd always been seen as the pride-and-joy of the man; the perfect son. But let down, after let down in Jaime's early teens had made his dad unsympathetic, close-minded and intolerant.

He vividly remembered coming home, after being let off mode. His mother was upset, to say the least, that Jaime had been hiding his Blue-Beetle identity. Milagro had been frightened. His father was furious. He'd never shouted so loud at Jaime before; he even threw a few things around.

He'd been angry more out of fear for his son; Jaime had been in constant danger, he had been reckless… and he'd lied to his parents. The lies especially, his father could not forgive.

"Trust can be destroyed in seconds, and it can take a lifetime to re-build it." Jaime remembered his father's last, harsh sounding words of that night. Jaime refused to believe, that even after almost two years, his father had forgiven him.

It had been a whole different story when Jaime and Bart told Alberto about their relationship. In front of the speedster, the graying-haired man had been mild-mannered and quite dismissive. That night, however, when Jaime and Alberto 'went for a drive', the man had lost it. The older man cried, and he shouted and lashed out in confusion.

Jaime rolled his eyes at the memory; yea, he'd apologized profusely the days following that. Yeah, Alberto stated that Jaime was still the perfect son to him… but Jaime knew deep-down, that his father was disappointed.

If Alberto reacted so horribly to both these life-changing moment's beforehand, Jaime hardly reckoned that his father would shrug and accept Maria with open arms. In fact, Jaime was already bracing himself for a lecture about how stupid he was.

His mother had slapped him across the face; would his father do worse?

Or would he just give Jaime the silent treatment, and never look at him again?

Jaime swallowed with difficulty, his thoughts already bringing glimmering tears to his dark-brown eyes. He took a staccato breath, and tried to sleep once more.

* * *

When Jaime arrived downstairs that morning, he was surprised to see only his father at the kitchen table. He glanced at the time on his watch; six thirty. Jaime hadn't gotten to sleep, so had decided upon a shower and a few minutes of reflection before he headed down.

When Jaime had left his bedroom, Bart and Maria had still been asleep, most probably worn out from last night. He determined that disturbing them would just cause more problems.

He strode to the cupboard, looking for something to eat while his dad sipped out of his ceramic mug. "Morning, son."

"Morning, papa." Jaime struggled to keep an unwavering tone with his reply. Alberto rose an eyebrow, "All okay, Son?"

Now was the perfect chance to tell him everything.

Perfect lasted little over a second as Bart skipped into the room, smiling brightly. Jaime rolled his eyes, annoyed at his boyfriend's super-speed and can-do attitude. Alberto's smile faltered, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Mornin' Mr. Reyes!" Bart spoke cheerfully, and strode up to Jaime. His gaze suddenly changed into something hostile, "You owe me big-time, _Am_ee_-Gow."_ Bart whispered angrily. Large blank bags slumbered under his dull-green eyes. Jaime looked at him apologetically, but Bart turned away, putting on his façade once more- boy, he was good at it.

Jaime cleared his throat; might as well tell his father then and there to get it done with.

"Papa, I need to inform you about something."

Alberto laced his fingers together, and rested his chin on them, looking at Jaime curiously, beckoning him to go on.

"I'madad,Ihaveakid." He spluttered out the words, and Bart rushed out of the room, returning seconds later holding a sleeping Maria in his hands. "TA DA!" He shot, holding her upwards.

Jaime rolled his eyes, and Alberto's mouth dropped. He looked at Bart in confusion, then back at Jaime. "I thought Bart was…" He trailed off, still in absolute shock.

Jaime choked on his cough in surprise, and held his throat briefly. "Dad! Bart's… well, BART!" Jaime took a deep breath, "It's Rosa's baby."

Alberto stood, "Your mother already filled me in on the details. I was obviously kidding." He paced over to the child in Bart's arms, taking her. "Maria looks like you." He stated; he seemed to be holding in his anger, though his face was already beet colored.

Jaime inched an eyebrow upwards as his father sat down, rocking Maria. "She did?" Jaime didn't know if he was elated, or a little bit upset. Still, he pretended that his father had not been told previously. "Wait...No lecture? No shouting?"

Alberto looked up, wizened eyes knowing exactly how to make the boy feel uncomfortable. "Oh, don't get me wrong, Jaime. I have never been more disappointed in you in my whole life. You've just thrown away everything you've worked up to this moment for. You've kissed your dreams goodbye. People everywhere, from now on, will see you differently."

Alberto smiled sadly, "I think you're too immature for this; and this is going to be hard for you. But what has happened is done. You'll learn your lesson while raising _your _daughter. But there's no point in me shouting at you for something you can't change- you're just going to have to grow up now."

Grow up. Why was everyone telling him to do that?

"Your acceptance letter, to University: you're going to have to revoke that. Your dreams of being a dentist are not going to play out, I suppose." Alberto sighed, "I'd lecture you more, but I know you've already weighed out and seen what you've done. I have nothing more negative to say to you."

Even though his father wasn't screaming, even though his father didn't hit him, Jaime was still crying. The words; they'd hit harder than a fist to the face, and Jaime was once again filled with hate and remorse.

He looked to the floor, trying to get rid of his tears without making noise; the last thing he wanted was too loose all of his pride. With a swift movement, he thanked his father, took Maria, and strode out of the room.

He noted that Bart thought about following, but gave up half-way. Jaime didn't care. He calmly strode into his room, placing Maria back into her crib.

Never, in so many years, had he been so full of hate for one person- his own child- and yet been unable to show it. He shut his eyes, falling back onto his bed.

His life was over.

* * *

**How was the chapter guys? Longer than usual! Ha-ha.**

**I DO have a plan for this now!**


	4. Arrival

**Thanks for the feedback last chapter guys! I really appreciate it!**

**There's quite a bit of cursing towards the end of this chapter; well, three or four words, but they're quite coarse. I'm really sorry, but they are there for a point. L I try to refrain from cursing as much as possible in my fics, but, teens will be teens.**

**Moving on! **

**ENJOY!**

Jaime spent a good few hours up in his room. He only decided to remove his hands from his face and head back downstairs after Maria's quiet, but recurring cries kept interrupting his rumbling stomach.

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed _his _child from her resting place, and rushed out of the room with her in tow.

He came face to face with Bart on the stairs. His boyfriend wasted no time. He took hold of Maria, dashed off to Jaime's room, and returned moments later without her, pulling Jaime in for a hug.

Jaime stood stiff as Bart whispered in his ear and promised him that things would only get better; he relaxed as his boyfriend began trailing kisses down his neck… but growled when his mother cleared her throat beside them.

Bianca looked disheveled and depleted, though she was about to leave for a long shift at work. Jaime quirked his eyebrow upwards, keeping his arms around Bart's waist as he turned his head to watch her hover around, "You okay, Mami?"

She smiled in reply, and waved her hand nonchalantly.

Jaime nodded, not responding to Bart's questioning look. He pushed his partner away gently, and hurried down the stairs.

It wasn't a shock to see his father absent; he'd probably left for work shortly after his 'spirit-raising' talk. Jaime shuffled over to the counter, switching on the kettle and taking shallow breaths. He wanted to be alone; but that didn't mean he'd tell Bart (who had just entered the room), to go away.

Said person looked around, swiftly moved to the fridge, and pulled out a yoghurt pouch. He paused before wolfing it down; "Maria's crying."

"Let her." Jaime stated, gritting his teeth and gripping the counter. He shook his head, looking to his untied shoelaces. "Fine. I'll check up on her."

Bart smiled; his boyfriend was never entirely harsh. He wanted to be purely good; but everyone had a temper, and Jaime just happened to be a touchy hot-head. Bart watched Jaime retreat from the kitchen, and then set himself the task of preparing his partner some tea.

It was a hard task; he'd never even tried to do it before. He swore as some boiling water trickled over his fingers. He sprang away from the kettle, knocking it in the process over his arm. He squeezed his eyes shut, holding his arm in pain, before sighing. _"Better me, than Maria, for instance."_

He looked down to his injured body part, which was already blistering.

Jaime strode in, cursing loudly. "Are you okay?" Maria was cradled in his arms, and he had a look of panic across his features. His eyes crinkled, as did the corners of his mouth as he began to grimace. "_Mierda_, Bart. You're gonna get yourself killed."

Bart held up his hand, waving it, "Two words, sweet-cheeks. Super-healing. It'll be fine scarring in about an hour, if even that."

"And then what?"

"War scars, Amee-Gow." Bart growled, pouncing upwards and circling Jaime slowly; like a lion to its prey.

Jaime laughed outwardly, shaking a sleepy Maria in the process. She seemed dazed, but smiled nevertheless. "You're so weird, _carino_."

Bart scowled, crossing his arms, "But that's why you love me." He perked up, rushing to his boyfriend and ticking Maria, "See, Eeea. Your daddy loves me very much! Course, I love him more- almost as much as I love you." He bopped Maria on the nose and she screamed in delight.

Jaime cringed, passing her on, "Have her." He strode over to the recently spilled liquid, grabbing a towel and wiping it up. "Mi Amor… There's no teabag in this water. You were making tea… right?"

Bart flushed scarlet, "Look, dude! I totally have no idea how to make a beverage, kay? I didn't even know you had to put tea in water to make tea! I thought you put a little brown bag with grass in it, into the cup!"

Jaime exhaled, "That's _tea, _Amigo."

Bart rolled his eyes, rocking Maria. "From now on- WE MAKE MILK!"

Jaime barked a laugh, mopping up the final streaks of water along the floor and counter. "Good luck working out how to makeit, hermano." Jaime shook his head, removing a carton from the fridge and pouring a glass.

Bart took it eagerly, "You know this is totally what I meant."

"I really hope so, man."

"You think Maria wants it?" Bart held the glass out to Maria, who pressed her lips to it. Jaime instantly snatched it back, staring around feverishly. He rubbed the back of his neck, "You need to warm it up, Bart." Jaime stated, before shrugging, "Or else, she'll keep us up all night with a cough."

Bart winked, "Riii-ghhht."

* * *

"Jaime!" Bianca called up to the stairs to her son. It was finally the weekend; but he was cramped up in his room with Maria, not doing much of anything.

He hadn't showered, he'd forgotten to shave. His only progress that day had been feeding and clothing Maria. Things were always a little dull or slothful when Bart went back to the Garrick's… but this was bordering on depressing.

"Jaime!" She called again, moving up a few of the creaky wooden steps. He still hadn't reacted to her voice.

He was quite preoccupied with staring up at the ceiling, with Maria laid beside him. She'd gotten restless in her crib, and Jaime honestly had nowhere else to put her.

"Jaime Reyes! I know you can hear me!" Bianca slammed her palm against Jaime's door multiple times. The teenager blinked slowly, hardly reacting as he inched his head slightly to gaze at the door.

His mother wasted no time in barging in. Jaime groaned, pulling a pillow over his face. Maria smiled brightly at the sight of her grandmother, raising her hands upwards.

Bianca looked extremely unimpressed; not only was her son the face of apathy, his room was also a junkyard. She sniffed, scrunching up her nose as she noticed clothes strewn around, just about everywhere. She spotted discarded food items along the sides of the bed, and his sheets were more wrinkled than the face of a hundred-year-old man.

"Son!" Bianca snarled, glaring at her boy. He slowly looked up at her, with unexciting eyes. The corners of his mouth seemed permanently pulled down. "You are going to clean up; you are going to clean yourself up… and then you're going for a walk with Maria!"

She put her foot down, pointing at Jaime's en-suite, and then surveyed the room with beady eyes once more.

Jaime forced himself up, rubbing his face. The quiet sound of scratching broke the silence as he rubbed his stubble. "Mom, she can't walk yet. You know that." He scowled at Maria, who grabbed her toes with her hands and drooled.

Bianca blinked slowly, before letting her features distort with irritation, "Jaime, we bought a stroller for a reason. The fresh air will do you good!" She threw a pillow (long since forgotten on the floor) at her son, and stormed away.

Jaime moaned, falling back into bed. Perhaps he'd wait a little-

"JAIME, NOW!" His mother shot, in an all too deathly-serious voice.

* * *

He'd decided not to shave when it came down to it. He thought it made him look more mature anyway. Maybe less people would judge if he looked like a single GROWN MAN father?

He dressed Maria in a red tank top, and khaki shorts. It was summer; she wouldn't freeze, that was a fact. Donning a cap (and suiting the child up with a hat too), Jaime left home with her in the pram.

He decided to follow a trail that was familiar to him. He didn't want to go to a park or anything; he wasn't keen on showing her off to the world. His parents had already drilled the fact that this was his life now, into his head. He didn't need to hold up a banner stating it to all that could see.

He walked briskly, ignoring any smiles or stares from passersby. Maria was doing something 'cute' in her spot; probably squealing, or the like.

When he reached his destination; the outskirts of a skate park, he took a seat on a bench, and turned the stroller to face himself.

Maria's face practically stretched twice its size as she beamed at him. She held out her hands, giving off that she wanted to be nurtured. Jaime rolled his eyes: he wasn't saying yes because she looked incredibly adorable with her curls poking oh-so-slightly out from under her hat. He wasn't saying yes because she wanted him to. He only picked her up because he didn't want to look like the bad-guy around anyone who could possibly be watching him.

After a while, Jaime began to doze off. It was hot, his sleep pattern had been ruined by the arrival of the child, and it was sort of comfortable on the bench.

A slap on his shoulder just about killed him.

He was winded momentarily, and he squeezed Maria far too tight. She grunted in frustration, and he sucked in a deep breath; pupils dilated, heart beating too fast.

He whizzed around, to look up at whoever had scared the life out of him.

Tye, Paco and Brenda smirked at him. Paco was rubbing the back of his head; he was obviously the culprit.

"Hi, guys." Jaime mumbled, trying to think fast. It was too late to hide Maria; but he had to think up a lie.

Brenda sprang over the bench easily, supporting herself with one arm. "We haven't spoken in ages, Amigo!" She seemed excited; her high voice pitching upwards even more than it usually did.

Paco nodded in agreement, and Tye crossed his arms over his chest.

"I've been busy, you know. Hero stuff, life stuff-" He refrained from mentioning school; the very thought that he couldn't go back made a gut wrenching feeling well up inside of him.

Brenda chuckled, "And obviously you've been busy babysitting!" She fussed over Maria, who absorbed the attention, and played her best cards; hiding her face, giggling, even jabbering on in a language no one could decipher.

Jaime looked to the floor, locking his jaw. _Babysitting._ Yeah.

Tye moved closer to Jaime, to get a better look at Maria. He furrowed his brow, before tapping Jaime on the back. "You know, it's uncanny, right? No hiding it from me." His deep voice shook Jaime out of his trance like state.

"What?" Jaime's head darted upwards, and he looked at his friend in confusion.

Paco laughed, his red bandana, which usually sat over his cropped black hair sliding down his face. He raised a questioning eyebrow.

Jaime looked back at Maria, shrugging, "What's uncanny?" He rephrased his previous statement.

"Oh, man!" Tye face-palmed, before shaking his head, "How much alike you and that baby look. It's crazy! Did your mom have another child or something?"

Jaime swallowed: hard. He blinked, not really sure what to say. The conversation could go either way. Was he really willing to lie to his friends?

The DNA test would arrive in a few days; he wasn't ready to state that this was HIS child. Was he?

He absent-mindedly held Maria to himself, looking deep into her dark coffee eyes; they matched his in an eerie way. Everything about her screamed: JAIME! But… he didn't feel much of a connection to her. At least, that's what he was trying to convince himself.

_"Better not get attached to her; the DNA test kit is coming soon. Then, I'll find out she isn't mine, and I can get on with my life."_

Brenda punched Jaime in the arm, before waving a hand in front of his face, "Amigo, we don't like being ignored."

Paco puffed out his chest, biting his lip. He was obviously annoyed.

Jaime stood, placing Maria back into the pram. "Guys, I have to go. Really sorry. It was nice catching up."

"Don't talk bull-shit, hermano." Tye stated, nostrils flaring. "There's something you're not telling us."

Jaime sighed. "Please don't cuss in front of her." He cocked his head to the side, a small smile playing at his lips.

Paco chuckled, "You're so full of shit, Jaime. Just-"

The Hispanic father glowered, "I said, don't swear in front of her."

It seemed his male friends were oblivious to his words however, and Paco hollered, throwing his hands up into the air, "You have a problem with our cursing? Well, shit man, I can't fucking control my mouth! I'm-"

"STOP SWEARING IN FRONT OF MY DAUGHTER!" It was out before he could control it; but he had warned them. He groaned, hiding his face with his hands.

Brenda clasped a hand over her mouth, before glaring at Paco, who for once, had nothing to say. Her red hair fell over her face, and she spoke to the floor, "Way to go, guys!"

Jaime strapped Maria into her seat, and started walking away. He heard Paco shout a few apologies, but he honestly didn't care. He'd just screwed everything up. How long until Paco let slip that he had a kid?

"I'm an idiot, Maria." Jaime stated to his daughter, who gazed up at him, dumbfounded.

He hated being pushed over the edge, and yet, exactly that had happened. Still; he'd at the very least convinced himself that he didn't want to pollute his daughters mind with such words.

His daughters mind.

He'd also, apparently, convinced himself, if unwillingly, and by unwanted actions, that Maria WAS his daughter.

* * *

Bart skipped into the room, darting to the couch. Jaime was sitting on the floor, leaning against it, a book in his lap. He was fast asleep. Maria was laid beside her on the floor; she had been sleeping too, but she stirred at the noise Bart made when he entered.

Bart glanced at the book in his boyfriend's lap. "Some Spanish kids book, eh?" Bart chuckled, lifting Maria off the floor and kissing her on the forehead, "It's been a week- and he's finally read you something." Bart clapped quickly, cheering softly and Maria joined in, albeit louder. The auburn haired teenager placed a finger to his lip, and pointed to Jaime. Maria followed his movement with an intelligent sparkle in her curious eyes.

Jaime opened his eyes slowly, groaning. Bart sniggered, "There's a parcel for you."

The Hispanic's sleepy mind told Bart to take it up to his room. The rational part of his brain caught up soon after, and Jaime was rushing to his bedroom.

Bart was sprawled on the bed, hugging Maria. The Parcel wasn't open. Thank Goodness Bart respected Jaime's privacy.

"Do you know what it is?" Bart questioned, placing Maria onto the floor.

Jaime took at seat on the bed. _Yes. _"No, idea." He pursed his lips.

Bart's eyes lit up, and he smiled warmly, "Let's open it!"

"AH! No! I-" He didn't have a reason. He growled. Why was he such a terrible liar?

The speedster grabbed the package, "Why not? C'mon man!"

Jaime took the parcel back, placing it under his bed. There was only one thing he could do. His lips met Bart's with force, and soon the duo was completely immersed in fighting for mouth space.

Bart's attention span was incredibly small; hopefully, by the end, he'd forget about the package.

The DNA kit; it'd determine once and for all Jaime's fate.

**Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review!**


	5. Departure

**Thanks for the reviews last chapter guys! **

**They make me so happy! *cries***

**Enjoy!**

Bart was stretched across the couch, basking in dream filled sleep. Rays of warm light seeped in from under the floor length curtains to the side of the room. He was completely content.

Jaime softly lifted Maria from the crook of his partner's neck, pressing her to his chest. Now was the perfect time. His father was at work, his mother was busying herself elsewhere and Bart was oblivious to the world around him.

The Hispanic practically flew up the stairs, landing in his bedroom, and shutting the door as quietly as possible. Maria was on the floor as soon as the DNA kit had been removed from under the bed.

Jaime placed it with desire atop his bed, and ripped the package open. The small box came with a leaflet of instructions, and numerous cotton swabs and plastic pockets. Jaime furrowed his brow; reading would take up too much time… but he guessed if he wanted to do it, he'd have to do it right.

**"Jaime Reyes, this is pointless. I have told you multiple times already that I am equipped to run a DNA test myself." **The Scarab, ultimately, sounded annoyed as Jaime removed a swab from its given place.

"Shut up, okay? I got this." Jaime looked at the guidelines, reading them to himself in a hurried murmur. "Step One- prepare two swabs for both yourself, and child."He gritted his teeth, exasperated, "_Done that!_ Step Two- swab inside cheek with two cotton swabs, for self." He read on, "Repeat action, using remaining pink swabs, for child."

Jaime followed the set task and then glanced at Maria on the floor. "Your hair's grown a little bit." Jaime mumbled absent-mindedly, hoisting up the child. He motioned for her to open her mouth, though she seemed confused and unwilling.

**"Jaime Reyes, again, if you would allow me to-"**

"No!" Jaime snapped, startling the child in his arms. He shook his head, "This is way easier to do independently."

He again motioned for the girl to open her mouth, and she obliged, still unsure of his motives. He carefully tracked the order of steps, reaching the next part and placing the swabs in a well-ventilated area (the windowsill, after opening the window) to dry.

**"I can give you the correct analysis in less than a minute. I assure you, the results from this company will take longer to return to you."**

Jaime groaned, dropping Maria carefully onto the bed, and lying down next to her. His fingers moved slowly to her hair, and he brushed through it in deep concentration. He snapped upwards, "Look, I wanna do this. I don't care, okay?"

Maria sat up too, crawling over to the edge of the bed. Jaime had a mini-heart attack as her hands fell over the ledge. He thankfully caught her before she smashed against the carpet, but he kept her on the floor afterwards to be on the safe side.

After letting Jaime calm down, the scarab piped up again, **"You do not care? This is because you already know the answer, with or without my analyzing or the test outcome."**

Jaime's gaze fell onto Maria, who had all too quickly found a toy to chew on. A smile broke onto his features before he could stop it, and he clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to keep a straight face. "I just- I need to do this. I do. Right?" Jaime scratched his head, unsure.

**"Jaime Reyes, I have examined your statement, and I cannot find the reason for why you must."**

"I just need to be sure."

**"You do?"** The Scarab seemed unconvinced, and Jaime was beginning to feel guilty. 

"I'm gonna be honest. I know she's mine, but I just need these results. I need to prove-"

Bart sped into the room, laughing. He placed his hands onto his hips and smirked, "Sweet-cheeks, Mom says dinner's ready." His gaze wavered to the bed, on which sat the recently opened parcel.

Jaime stood up in panic, "I can explain, dude!"

Bart's gaze hardened, "Really? I totally don't think you can." He bit his lip, before snarling, and punching the wall. Maria hid her face, crawling under the bed.

Jaime had never seen his boyfriend so livid, so furious. His whole demeanor changed in a split second. Jaime knew he annoyed his partner; but he never really thought Bart would address the issue in such a authoritarian and insensitive manner.

"You are _the _worst parent in the world! Let's not talk about your denial issues, and your limited ability to grow a pair! You're so immature! I've never met anyone as irresponsible and… and horrible as you!"

Bart stood his ground; his face red with fury, continuing.

"She's _your _kid! The whole world can see that! Why is it so hard for you to accept that? We're all trying to help, and you're like a mushroom! You just live for yourself, and drown in unhappiness and misunderstanding!"

Bart growled, throwing his head back in irritation, "We're all disappointed! Heck, _I'm_ let down. We thought your life would play out differently, but now we've seen it won't, and we've accepted it. I know it's hard, but you're just plain frustrating!"

"Holding a grudge is one thing, buddy, but actually needing to reassure yourself and feed self doubt with- with… what is that stuff, anyway?"

Jaime opened his mouth to reply, looking very much embarrassed and bruised by the words; defeated.

"I don't want to know, actually." Bart spat. "I tried to help; but since you're so determined on getting rid of _it_, I don't wanna be a part of this anymore." Bart glared at Jaime, before storming out of the room, breathing heavily. "I'm done!" He cried, throwing his hands up into the air.

"It's _her._" Jaime whimpered, dropping to his knees and gazing in sadness at the spot where Bart had recently fumed.

BREAKLINE

It took a good hour for Jaime to stop screaming into his pillow in anger. It had only taken two minutes to smash the DNA kit and flush the swabs down the toilet, however.

"Jaime?" Bianca tapped at the door, but the Hispanic was in no mood. He had no idea where he and Bart stood now, and he hated himself for both his recklessness and greed.

Did Bart just breakup with him? Or did he just need a break? Was it all just in the moment- would he return in an hour to apologize for overreacting? Jaime groaned, pushing himself upwards, "It's open." His voice was hoarse.

"Are you okay?" His mother spoke in an urgent undertone.

_No. _Jaime nodded in response, wiping his face on his sleeve.

"Bart just hurried out an hour ago, and I was wondering if everything was-"

"I'll be down in a minute, mom. Kay? Just let me wash up." Jaime forced a smile, after interrupting his guardian.

She gave him a sad smile, "I'm off to work- food's on the table."

BREAKLINE

"Hey, Maria!" Jaime sauntered into his room, grabbing the child and throwing her up into the air, catching her reassuringly. She squealed, nuzzling into his chest.

"Are you up for a walk? Daddy could use the fresh air."

Reflecting the events two days ago, when he had blurted to his friends about his 'daughter', Jaime pushed the buggy out into the open air. It was slightly cooler than it had been for weeks, and he was making use of the slight afternoon wind, trying to walk into it to cool off.

Instead of heading to the stake park, Jaime turned in the opposite direction. The walk would be far longer, but he supposed it would be worth it.

When he arrived at the kid's playground, he almost contemplated turning back. Apart from the fact that it held a few more inhabitants then he had bargained for, the only bench to the side of it was filled for doting mothers, and three recognizable teenagers, who just happened to wave him over.

He rolled his eyes, but went onwards. Brenda ran up to him, red hair waving around her face as the wind picked up. She hugged him warmly, smiling. "Because I'm obviously a messenger owl, Paco and Tye just wanted me to let you know that they have never been more sorry… _ever_."

"I'm sure." Jaime smirked, holding up his phone, "I got the texts!"

Tye rushed over, beaming, "Did you get my voicemail?" He smirked, "See Paco!" He shouted to his friend, who was still sitting on the bench. "I told yah he'd come!"

Jaime glanced away awkwardly; he'd actually gone with ignoring the duo completely. He had no idea they'd show up in the very place he least expected to see them.

Tye backed away slowly from his friend, and got down on his knees in front of the child in the pram. "Hey cutie! We called your… erm… dad, over, coz the park is where kids go!" He tried to sound enthusiastic as he spoke, but towards the end of his words, he became unsure, and let his low voice take over once more.

Jaime and Brenda laughed in chorus.

"Since we're here-" Jaime began, walking around the pram, and removing Maria. "I suppose the swing set hasn't changed much?"

He looked at the park directly to his left, sighing. The swing set held six swings- four for grown children, and two baby seats. A mother pushed a toddler in one of them. That left enough for the four of them.

Paco seemed to have heard, and rushed to the set, trying to get to the best seat before the others.

Brenda chuckled as Tye followed suit, running frantically. Jaime 'parked' the pram beside the now nearly empty bench, and ran to his friends. The only swing left for his age was the crappy wooden one the council had failed to replace with a far more stable plastic creation.

He rolled his eyes, placing Maria into the empty baby seat. He wasn't really sure what to do, but he gently grabbed the swing and pulled it to himself, letting go.

Maria screamed, clapping her hands. It was a puzzling reaction, but… as long as she was having fun. Jaime repeated the action as the swing came back to him, and Tye groaned, hopping off his moving seat.

"Hermano! You have to put some gusto into it!" Tye nudged Jaime out of the way playfully, and grabbed the chair, pushing it.

Maria again, clapped, but Jaime looked less than impressed. He grabbed the swing, and pushed it lightly, slowing it down. "Dude! Careful! What if she falls out?"

"It's built so they don't!" Paco put in his two cents, smiling eagerly.

"Overprotective much?" Brenda added, laughing cheerily.

Jaime flushed in response, "I just- I don't want to clean up her brains or anything off the floor."

Tye scrunched up his nose, "Gross man. No need to play the tough card; we can see you love her."

Jaime moaned, "I wouldn't say love."

"I would." Paco stated, snorting.

"I think you love her too, son. And I've only been watching you for a minute." The parent, who had been pushing her own child, added to the conversation, keeping her eyes on her offspring.

Jaime laughed, "Okay, Ma'am. I suppose I do… ugh… _love _her." He barely choked out the words, but smiled as Maria looked up at him, innocently- a nearly unnoticeable smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

BREAKLINE

"Mami! We're out of milk formula for the baby!" Jaime strode into the kitchen, shouting.

Bianca held her ears, smiling, "Already? We bought some last week."

"And we finished today!" Jaime stated while tutting at Maria, who was in his arms.

It had been almost three weeks since Maria had been dropped off with Jaime, and just about two weeks since Bart had completely disappeared from Jaime's life.

Jaime slung Maria over his shoulders, and beamed. "Can I head down to the shops with her? She hasn't been in a supermarket yet." He smirked, "Please!" He added, whining as his mother looked at him judgmentally.

"Just tell me first: what happened to my son?" Bianca was staring at him, her mouth loose.

_I matured. I took what Bart said very seriously; I knew I needed to change. Heck, I might still not fully like Maria. She's still ruined my life; there's so much I'm not going to be able to do because of her… but I'm doing what I can, to seem like a good person. Maybe Bart will hear about it, and come back? _

He grimaced. He hated thinking about Bart; the very thought of the auburn haired speedster made his heart twinge.

"Ah, you know, nothing much. I just; well, Maria _is _my daughter, so I might as well take her out and be proud… and stuff."

"Mhmm. Not buying it." Bianca stated, before exhaling with exhaustion. "I'm going to go nap. You better be back by the time I leave for work."

"Of course, Mami! Thanks!" Jaime rushed out of the kitchen, swinging Maria back across to his front. She giggled gleefully at the action.

"Don't forget to wrap up Maria!" Bianca shot, "It's chilly in the food shop! We don't want her to get a cold!"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Mami!"

**There. I know it was short, but I just really wanted to show Jaime's transformation at the end, and bring up that it isn't exactly true to what he wants to act like. **

**Please leave a review if you are able!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Fish**


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